In the early hours of this morning over 500 police beset upon the small town of Grande-Synthe, just outside Dunkirk. Within an hour they had surrounded the large patch of woodland in which over 1500 people have been living.
This much feared clearance has come after weeks of anticipation, and is the largest operation we have seen in the area in over a year.
People were hastily woken and removed from their tents, before being escorted in small groups to buses waiting in the car park and around the perimeter.
As always, the destinations of these buses are unknown and many drive for hours to reach accommodation centres across France. For many who have never been through an eviction it can be a traumatic and confusing experience.
It is hard to foresee what the coming days will bring. We will, however, alongside our fellow organisations, continue to be present and support any people who remain or return to the area.
Share and help raise awareness of what is going on here, just outside our borders.
Two years on from the eviction of the Calais 'Jungle' and it is clear to see these clearances are not the solution. This movement of people is not about to end any time soon.
In Solidarity. In Defiance.
